Indicator-signal for lockers and the like.



M. S. HART & W. I. WILLIAMS.

INDICATOR SIGNAL FOR LOCKERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I8. I915.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEET5SHEET 1- W911 names M. S. HART & W. J. WILLIAMS. INDICATOR SIGNAL FOR LOCKERS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. I915.

1,158,920, Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEET WM; memes i sins rnn'r onto MAXWELL S. HART .ANID WARREN J. WILLIAMS, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT,

ASSI'G-NORS TO THE EAR-T & HUTCI-IINSON COMPANY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTI- CUT, .A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

INDICATOR-SIGNAL FOR LOCKERS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Itatented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed May 18, 1915. Serial No. 28,943.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, MAXWELL S. HART and WARREN J. l/VILLIAMs, both citizens of the United States of America, and both residing at New Britain, Hartford county, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Indicator-Signal for Lockers and the like, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to lock indicators, the same being particularly useful in connection with lockers. In many places, such as gymnasiums, it is customary to provide a large number of lockers and to employ an attendant therefor. The attendant is usually instructed to remove the soiled clothing from each locker after it has been used. Where an attendant has a large number of lockers to care for, it is exceedingly difiicult for him to recall each day the particular lockers that have been used on that day, and hence, unless he has kept an accurate record, it is practically impossible for him to with certainty determine. what lockers he should open. By our improvement when the owner of a locker opens the same, he sets by his key, an indicating mechanism which remains set in the indicating position until the attendant by his key has reset the same in the non-indicating position. By the provision of such an indicator it is at once apparent that a locker attendant may tell at once precisely those lockers that require his attention.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation 011 a small scale of several lockers, the end ones being broken away. Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged detail view partly broken away showing the indicator in one position. Fig. 3 is. a similar view with the indicator in another position. Fig. 4 is an edge elevation of the'indicator, with certain parts shown in section. Fig. 5 is a front view thereof. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, the partsbeing in a different position. Fig. 7 is a front view of the'parts shown in Fig. 6. Figs. 8 and 9 are views of two different keys.

1 represents a locker; 2 the locker door; 3 the outer end of a key plug; and e a window or opening in the door 2 for the indicator, which, in the preferred form is of the visual type, although, of course, in a broad sense, the particular type is immaterial. Within the door 2 and mounted on a suitable frame is a swinging plate or semaphore signal arm 5 pivoted-at 5 The outer end of this signal 5 may be moved into the non-indicating position or the indicating position. In the present instance it may be assumed that the indicating position is that in which the end of the arm 5 stands in front of the opening 41- (see Fig. 3), while in the non-indicating position it is removed from in front of said window, (see Fig. 2).

The owner of the locker is provided with a key which, when he unlocks. the door 2, shifts the indicator from the non-indicating to the indicating position, the said key being incapable of resetting the indicator or signal to the non-indicating position when the door is again locked by said key.

The locker attendant is provided with a key which is so fashioned that, when said attendant unlocks said door to attend to the locker, and again locks the same, it will reset the indicator to the non-indicating position.

A wide variety of changes in the various details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention, but in the particular form shown herein we provide a suitable means for frictionally holding the signal 5 inthe indicating position shown in Fig. 3. This means may comprise a stationary stud 6 arranged to engage a yielding spring latch 7 carried by the signal arm 5. This latch may have a recess or opening 8 into which the end of the stud 7 may project, as shown in Fig. 3.

The locker lock itself may be of any conventional type, and usually includes a socalled dead-bolt 9 mounted in a suitable lock case 10 provided with suitable tumbler mechanism (not shown) requiring a key of proper bitting to so move the tumblers that the bolt may be projected or retracted. In this particular instance the lock is provided with an outwardly extending portion 3 which forms the key escutcheons for the face of the door, through which the key-way extends.

12 represents the attendants key or 1naster-key,the hitting of which may be proper to open a large number of locks.

12 represents the owners key which may be varied from the master-key as to its tumbler hitting for the lock. The thing to particularly note about the keys 12 and 12 is the presence of the notch a in the owners key and the absence of, this notch in the master-key. It is this difference in the keys,

in this particular embodiment, which causes the keys to function diii'erently in connection with the signal, as will later be described.

In that form of my invention shown herein, we yi'eldingly mount on the side of the indicator 5 a tumbler 13 which provides a I key-engageable shoulder or hook. The body of this tumbler is indicated at 14c and the same isyielding. The rear end of said tumbler is'mounted at 15. 16 is an abutment of fulcrum near the mounting 15. Pressure against the underside of the free end of the i tumbler '13 will spring the bar 14 and lift the key-engagable shoulder so that the same may hook over the edge of a suitable key. 17 is a shoulder on the lower side of the signal arm 5 below the pivot 5" and behind and i just to the rear of the shoulder of the sig nal tumbler 18, see Figs. 5 and 7. N ow, assummg the parts are as shown in solid lines, Fig. 5, 1f the owner desires to enter his locker, he inserts his key in the i keyhole and turns it clockwise to the position indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 5. This movement of the key causes the edge thereof to engage the shoulder 17 of the signal arm 5 so as to throw it from the solid line position to the dotted line or indicating position of Fig. 5, wherein said signal will engage and be frictionally held by stud 6. The owners key is notched at a so that it will not be en- I gaged by the aforesaid signal tumbler 13,

hence, when the owner turns his key in a counter-clockwise direction to lock the door, the signal will remain set in the indicating position.

1f now the attendant uses his masterkey in the same locker, he will insert it in the same way and turn it in a lockwise direction to withdraw the bolt 9. Since the edge of the master-key is not provided with a notch a the edge of said key will engage the signal tumbler and as the key is turned in a clockwise direction, the deadbolt 9 will be withdrawn and the free end of said tumbler 13 will be lifted until the edge of the key passes to the position shown in solid'lines, Fig. 7 wherein the tumbler 13 will be hooked over the edge of the masterkey, so that when the key is turned back to project the dead-bolt 9, it will also pull on the tumbler 13 and shift the signal back to the non-indicating position indicated in Fig. 7.

By the foregoing means it will be seen that one key may be used to advance and retract the dead bolt ,9 and to operate in one way. on the indicator, whereas the other key may perform the same function or project ing andretracting the bolt 9 and will oper' ate in another way on the indicator; that is to say, one key has the function of moving the signal to. the indicating positionand Will not restore it to the rion-indicating position; whereas the other key will move the signal to the non-indicating position, but preferably will not move tothe indicating position.

We desire it to be understood that we have shown our invention in only one simple and elfective form, and thatwe apprehendand appreciate that many changes may be made in the construction and arrangement ofthe various parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. By the use of our inserted and the bolt retracted, the key cannot be removed until the bolt has again been projected. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways, all of which are too well understood to require specific illustration or description. In the drawings the stop 11 might constitute one means for preventing one of the keys, say the owners key at 12, frombeing turned in a clockwise direction farther than indicated in Fig. 5. Should it be desired to have the master-key 12 so constructed that it can never throw the indicator to the indicating position even while the said master-key isin the lock, it is merely necessary to-cut away the edge of the key as at Z), Fig. 8, whereby the said key will then clear the shoulder 17 of the signal when said key is turned to retract the bolt 9.

What we claim is:

[lie

1. I11 an indicator signal means for locks V for lockers and the like, a key operable look ing bolt, two different keys for operating said bolt from the outside of said lock, an indicator signal having anindicating and a non-indicating position, with means for V enabling said. signal to be moved to an indi-' cating position by one key and to bemoved to a non-indicating position by theother key.

2. In an indicator signal means for looks for lockers and the like, a key operable looking bolt, two different keys for operating said bolt from the outside of said lock, an indicator signal having an indicating and a non-indicating position with means for enabling said signal to be moved to an'indieating position only by one key and to be moved to a non-indicatingposition only by the other key.

3. In an indicator signal means for looks for lockers and the like, a key operable locking bolt, a semaphore signal with means for swinging said signal to one position by one key for said bolt and to swing said signal to another position by a difi'erent key for said bolt, said means being operable by the insertion of said keys into said lock from the outside.

I. In an indicator signal means for lockers and the like, a key operable locking bolt, an indicator signal having an indicating and a non-indicating position with means for enabling said signal to be moved to an indicating position only by one key and to be moved to a non-indicating position only by another key, said locking bolt being op erable by both of said keys.

5. In an indicator signal means for lockers and the like, a key operable bolt, a movable indicator signal having an indicating and a non-indicating position, a shoulder on said signal arranged to be engaged by one key when the same is turned to shift the signal to the indicating position simultaneously with the retraction of the locking bolt, said signal having another shoulder thereon arranged to be engaged by another key to move the signal to the non-indicating position when said second key is turned to project said bolt.

6. In an indicator signal means for lockers and the like, a key operable bolt, a movable mdicator signal having an indicating and a non-indicating position, a shoulder 011 said signal arranged to be engaged by one key when the same is turned to shift the signal to the indicating position simultaneously with the retraction of the locking bolt, said signal having another shoulder thereon arranged to be engaged by another key to move the signal to the non-indicating position when said second key is turned to project said bolt, one of said shoulders being yieldingly mounted on said signal to permit one of said keys to pass thereby when turned in one direction and to engage said key on its reverse turning movement.

7. In an indicator signal for lockers and the like, a key operable bolt, two keys for operating the same, one of said keys difiering from the other, a movable signal member arranged to be engaged by one of said keys to be moved in one direction only thereby and arranged to be engaged by the other of said keys to be moved only in an opposite direction thereby.

8. In an indicating signal means for looks for lockers and the like, an indicator element, a key operable locking bolt, two keys for operating said bolt from the same side of the lock, one of said keys operating on said indicator element in one way to cause the same to indicate one condition, the other key operating on said indicator element in another way to indicate another condition.

MAXWELL S. HART. WARREN J. WVILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

